(Rachel's POV)

"Please," I begged, very aware of the barrel of the gun on my forehead. "Please don't do this. I-I'll play along, just like you want. We can be happy together. Isn't that what you want, Jim?"

"We've tried this before, Rachel," he drawled. He wasn't the man behind the gun, his crony, Sebastian, was. "I gave us so many chances to be something. Be that couple that we were once before. But you fought so much. Your heart was never in it."

"It was, with that fake act that you played on me, once upon a time." I snorted. "You can't tell me that your heart was in it? Kind of hard to invest when you don't have one to put into that investment."

"I can't have someone who doesn't share my interests. I can't be near someone who wants to try and kill me every waking moment. Not that I don't already have a list of people waiting to do that, but none of them live with me. None except for you. It's a shame that we're at this point, kitten. I saw us with a future. You destroyed it."

"There was never a future!" I whisper-shouted. "You tricked me into thinking that! You're tricking yourself into thinking it! There was never going to be an us!"

Moriarty brushed his suit. "Go ahead and finish her. Don't do anything with her body, I want to make a good message out of her."

"You won't get away with this!" I shouted as Moriarty left the room.

"Nobody gets to me, Rachel. I'll always get away."

***

When I heard the bang in my dream, I had shot out of bed, feeling a twinge in my right shoulder. Great. It's in pain, just as my left one was before. I rolled my left shoulder, making sure I didn't roll my right. It was still sore from the stitching (apparently one of Sebastian's men knew how to stitch). They got aggravated and red, and they itched.

It'd been a few days since my bad experience at the criminals-only party. Sebastian hadn't come back from his assassination of Miss Whitehall. As much as I hated to admit it, I hoped he got the bitch.

You could imagine how pissed Amanda was when we got back to the mansion. She'd mouthed off at Moriarty, which in turn made her get slapped by Sebastian so hard that I almost thought he knocked her out.

Feeling a bit slow this morning, I got a shower and dressed in warm clothes. I pulled the long sleeves down as much as I could on the shirt I was wearing. My mind drifted to Irene Adler, who was practically a god send when Mandy and I needed it most. If she wasn't seen, she could get back to Sherlock and the others. Ugh, I missed an opportunity for her to tell Bayley that I loved him!

I watched the halls warily, seeing a few of Sebastian's people roaming around. I saw pistols in their holsters. One, a woman, had a pair of knives on her belt. I didn't want to cross any of them. There were three in total, all intimidating, ready to cause some harm to Mandy or I.

I found a den room (yes, this was the second one I found, so maybe it was more of a library) complete with full bookshelves and a fireplace. My fingers ran along the book spines out of boredom. This place felt more boring than a prison. At least with a prison fights broke out and there was never a dull day. The most eventful things that happened recently happened outside of this place.

I went to one of the barred windows, looking out at the gloomy weather. If only I was small enough to squeeze through those bars. I ran a hand through my hair. This place, though more full of people than ever before, felt empty. Quiet. And being in a mansion full of potential killers, silence was never a good thing. Any horror movies could tell you that much.

Bored and void of thoughts, I left the library and found myself back in the original den room, the TV full of news once again. I saw the top of a blonde head peeking up from the couch. I walked around it to find Mandy, curled up into a ball, staring mindlessly at the news.

"Need company?" I asked.

"Please." She gestured to the empty cushions beside her.

"It's awful, isn't it?" I sat beside her, pulling my knees to my chest. "I'm surprised Scotland Yard hasn't made an announcement about it."

"If they don't want Moriarty to know they're onto him, why put out a bulletin?" She shrugged. "It only alerts the kidnappers that they're looking, too, not just Sherlock."

"Never thought of it that way."

"Being stuck in this hellhole has made me learn a few things." She chewed on her thumbnail. "How's your shoulder?"

"Better. I hope it doesn't scar. Then both of my shoulders will be messed up."

"Well, Bayley will love you either way." A sad smile came onto her face. "I miss Taylor, Rachel."

"I miss Bayley." I rubbed her shoulder. I bit down on my lip. "I've got something to tell you, Mandy."

She looked at me, concerned. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing, nothing." I shook my head. "When we were at that party...someone approached me."

"Yeah, that freak who tried to kill you."

"No, not him. Someone else. A woman." I cleared my throat. "Someone Sherlock knows."

Her eyes widened in interest. "Sherlock knows a criminal?"

"It's a complicated story. Anyway, we talked in the bathroom. She's been in contact with them. I tried to give her what information that I could. Hopefully she got back to Baker Street all right and told them that we're okay."

"We need to thank this woman."

"Not sure if we'll be able to. I'll bet it's the only time I'll ever get to see her."

"Regardless, this is good! We know they haven't given up! Do you think they'll find us in time for you and Bayley to marry still?"

I chuckled. "If Bayley was smart, he'd let our guests know it's postponed due to unfortunate circumstances. He knows how to make bad situations sound much nicer. He's got a better way with words than I do."

"If I have to hear about that traitor one more time, I may just puke!"

That came from neither Mandy nor myself.

Both of us jumped off the couch and looked, horrified, as Moriarty had somehow snuck his way into the den room without us hearing him. Mandy and I looked at each other, worried. Did he hear us talk about Irene? Does he know?

"Eavesdropping isn't very nice," Mandy said bitterly.

"Can't resist. I've got ears everywhere." He smirked. "Speaking of ears, I picked up some interesting chatter just now. What's this about a woman that Sherlock knows?"

I cursed loudly in the most colorful language in my head. Crap. Okay, okay, we can lie our way out of this. We can totally lie our way out of this. "We were just talking about how Mary and I seem to be the few he talks to, aside from Mrs. Hudson," I lied.

"Uh-huh. That's not what I heard." He took predatory steps closer to us. Mandy and I moved closer to each other. "I heard talk about a woman who you talked to at the party. Well, that's just preposterous, because I distinctly remember you being at my side, Rachel. Unless...you were chatting in the loo. Ladies do love to gossip in the loo. I can't understand why.

"Unless a criminal got herself obsessed with you, the only reason I'd find anyone to talk to you outside of myself or Amanda here would be if they were there to...help you." He put his hands on the top of the couch. He tutted. "Dear, dear me, Rachel. Looks like we've got a dilemma. You've been keeping a secret from me, you naughty girl. Ordinarily, I'd like you to be naughty, but this is the wrong kind." He pouted.

"Mandy," I said warningly as Moriarty rounded the couch. I kept her behind me.

"Oh, there's no need to worry, kittens," he crooned, "I'm not the one who's going to hurt you."

As if on cue, all three of Sebastian's minions burst into the den room. Two pulled Mandy and I apart from each other, with Mandy screeching and fighting against them both. The last one, a man with a buzz cut, had a pistol pointed at me, so I remained where I was, as Moriarty crept closer.

"Now," Moriarty said calmly, "you're going to be good and fess up. How truthful you are to me right now will dictate how bad the consequences are for you ladies. So," he grabbed my chin, "want to confess everything, Rachel? What have you been keeping from me? This woman who you chatted with in the loo, who was she?"

"S-someone."

"Now, now, I need specifics, kitten. Vagueness is practically a sin."

I rolled my eyes. I squeaked when he squeezed my chin a bit painfully.

He sighed. "If you don't start talking, I'll make sure Amanda here won't be able to."

"Don't tell him anything!" Mandy yelled to me. "I can go without my voice!"

"Can you, Amanda?" Moriarty raised a brow. "Can you live without a voice? Could you adapt to sign language? Could you live without hearing your voice sing? Hearing yourself moan when you have sex with your partner? Because I sure can't imagine a world where I can't sing, speak, moan, groan, or laugh."

Mandy and I both cringed.

"Anyway." Moriarty refocused onto me. "Start talking. I don't have all day, and they don't have much patience. They're funny like that."

I'm sorry, Mandy, but I have to. He can't hurt you anymore. I let a tear fall from my eye. "She owed Sherlock a favor, she knew about the party. Asked me about where you were keeping me. I couldn't tell her specifics, because I have no idea where the hell we are."

"Did she give you a name?"

"No."

Moriarty now grabbed my throat lightly. "You're lying." I saw nothing in his black eyes. "Give me her name, or Amanda loses her voice forever."

"Rachel, don't!" Mandy warned me.

I sighed. "Irene Adler."

Moriarty scowled. "The Woman, who is supposed to be dead?"

My lower lip trembled. "She's alive."

He snorted. "Huh, I didn't peg Sherlock to be a ladies man. Then again, he did hook you in."

"What did he say?" Mandy gasped.

"Look, I confessed, okay?" I snapped. "We're good. Let us go and leave us alone."

"See, I should do that. I would do that, but...you still lied to me, Rachel. For that, you both need to pay." He snapped his fingers. "Time to have a little fun."

Mandy and I both fought against our captors' grips as we were led out of the den room. 

**Oi, I really wished Amanda and Rachel were smarter and less oblivious sometimes. >.< It's not good news for either of them, or Irene it looks like.**